Just curious about how some of you fellow riders handle your GS. Is it just for putting around town, or do you take pride in getting it leaned over; waaaayyyy over. I myself LOVE to take my GS into twisties. It's pretty suprising how capable of a bike it really is and just how low one can get it. I'm working hard on getting those chicken strips completly scrubbed off; maybe just about 1/2 an inch left on each side. I think if I get some leather pants to zip into my jacket & some knee armor the rest will go like nothing! I've got an '04 F model & maybe it's the farings that make my want to go fast through the turns, but after a sh*tty week at work It'll always put a huge grin across my face. so what's your karma?

I thought I abuse my baby, but after hearing about your 1/2" chicken strips, I'm thinking that I baby her...

I've got about 1"

i'm lost with the chiken strips . but yea i abuse my gs i know . i feel bad. but i keep her clean ! no i love twistes .. theres 4 of us in the lower Texas region going to west texas to ride a good road called "river road " supose to run along the rio grande   cant wait. just got the bike good and ready ... i have taken a cornter and stubed my toe .. scared the crap out of me ! . and i do my best to keep the ballas of my feet on the bike .. i'd sayyyy .. from then top of my shoe to about .. 1/4 of an inc. behinde my big toe was on the peg .. and i went zip ! and stub !  scared me .. but it just made me want to go faster and lower    call me crazy    but its fun and addicting

Chicken strips
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chicken stripsA chicken strip is a sometimes derogatory term used to describe the width of unused tread on the tires of a motorcycle, typically a sport bike.

At speed, a turning motorcycle leans. The faster the turn, the farther the motorcycle leans over. As the motorcycle leans, the contact patch moves farther to the side of the tire causing wear. The chicken strip is the amount of unused wear caused by a motorcyclist being considered too chicken to go faster through a turn and thereby lean the motorcycle farther over.

This is frequently used as a derogatory term deriving from the term chicken. Hence, chicken strips mark an inexperienced motorcyclist who is afraid to lean a motorcycle far enough to wear the edges of the tire.

"Chicken strips" can also be caused by doing numerous/repeated burnouts or, to a lesser extent, wheelies.

I thrash mine.  I use her and put her away wet.  There's a millimeter of unused tread on the edges of the front tire (110/70*).  At least half an inch on the rear.  I can definitely tell I'm at 50 degrees of lean when riding (not in the rain).  These Avons are great!

*Used all the tread on the front of the 110/80 BT45; contemplating going back to 110/80 in the Avons (130/70 rear).

Quote from: scratch on March 14, 2006, 08:18:01 PM
I use her and put her away wet. 

I've seen scratch's bike. It's pristine. You could eat off of it. It's a total beauty.

Quote from: scratch on March 14, 2006, 08:18:01 PM
I thrash mine. There's a millimeter of unused tread on the edges of the front tire (110/70*).  At least half an inch on the rear. 

Now THIS I believe, since I've seen you lead the FAST group on a Doc Wong ride.   Heck, I was in the SLOW group, and we were kickin' some @$$, but we rarely got in the same zip code as the group being led by that beeeautiful purple GS500! 


As for my bikes...heck, all the tires are just one big chicken strip. 

Quote from: pandy on March 14, 2006, 08:55:00 PM

Now THIS I believe, since I've seen you lead the FAST group on a Doc Wong ride.

Doc Wong? As in the Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Grandmaster? I love that man 

Quote from: pandy on March 14, 2006, 08:55:00 PM
As for my bikes...heck, all the tires are just one big chicken strip. 

I hear ya on that one. My tires have probably only seen a more than 50 degree lean angle once.....When my little cousin-in-law knocked my bike over 

Quote from: skoebl on March 14, 2006, 09:41:08 PM
I hear ya on that one. My tires have probably only seen a more than 50 degree lean angle once.....When my little cousin-in-law knocked my bike over 

I hadn't thought of that...in that case, my bikes have no chicken strips they've been over on their sides so much... 

Since I've been riding around town lately there isn't much chance to throw my blue beauty into corners, so I've got a quarter inch or so left on the tires. I typically do thrash 'er good and hard though, consistantly revving the engine in the 9k and 10k range and letting her show her true nature.

When I get to go on twisty road rides I typically use up all of the tire, except when it's wet. I'm not nearly as confident as scratch is in the rain.
Twisty road rides I usually end up with some good scuff marks on the edges of both front and rear tires. When I first saw scuffing on my rear tire I was so happy! When I saw it on the front I was confused, then excited.

I thrash all of my bikes in that manner of speaking...I can't get that kind of wear out of my TL's tires, though, because the pegs get in the way...so I still have about 1/4" of tread left on good days.

Not that I don't believe you guys, but I want proof. Lets see some pictures of your chicken strips, and or lack there of!!!!

Here is my tire. The red square is where I still have some small tire nubs which means that part doesn't touch the ground very often.  I'm not sure if that is the true definition of a chicken strip, but I sure hope so because that's about 3/4 - 1"


Here is my bike on sunday enjoying the rare sunny day when I don't have to work. Tons of Bikes on Ruston Way in Tacoma so I thought I'd snap a photo of mine.

Quote from: scratch on March 14, 2006, 08:18:01 PM
I thrash mine. I use her and put her away wet.

Same here, only I didnt have chicken strips on my stock sized tires. Thrashing is the only way to ride...

One of the coolest things about the GS is that you can rev it til it howls, drag pegs, and max it out...


and you are still going less than 100 mph.

Quote from: JamesG on March 15, 2006, 06:01:31 AM
One of the coolest things about the GS is that you can rev it til it howls, drag pegs, and max it out...

and you are still going less than 100 mph.

More fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow, huh?   

I mainly just commute with my bike, so I haven't really "hit the twisties" yet.  But when I pull out onto a 4-lane highway from a little side street, I can't help but crank the throttle on open and get up to speed in a hurry.   

I've been running on the freeway.
My chicken strips are two inches wide.

When i was in florida for bike week I prolly topped out my GS 20 times...All the guys i was ridin' with had 600s...
topgear, wot, and pushin as fast as possible...new record..130

I push my GS when I find a nice stretch of road, there aren't really twisties around here but i manage to only have 1/4inch chicken strips on either side of my rear tire.

I have 1/4" of totally untouched tire and another 1/4" of hardly touched tire...  Then another 1/4" of rarely touched tire...

I guess that's what I get for using most of my rubber in the city and on freeways.

I have about the same as scratch as far as chicken strips.  I LOVE the twisties and living were I do I frequent them.  However recently i have had a streak of bad luck with cars and bike, hopefully it will end soon for both  .  Oh well i will continuw to sit here, drink  my beer, and post to my hearts content